Andy Hill, High Country Regional Director and Watauga Riverkeeper
Andy Hill serves the High Country as your Watauga Riverkeeper and High Country Regional Director for MountainTrue. Your Watauga Riverkeeper is the key protector, watchdog, and advocate for the High Country Region of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee.
Andy is passionate about clean, cold, fishable, drinkable, and swimmable water, as well as protecting the places we share. As a long-time fly fisherman, educator, and guide, he is intimately familiar with our watershed, from the headwaters to the tailwaters.
Andy’s love for the Southern Appalachians brought him to Appalachian State University, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Outdoor Experiential Education, a BA in English, and his Master’s in College Outdoor Program Administration. Following his passion for outdoor recreation, Andy has led community service trips both locally and around the globe for several adventure travel programs. Also a NOLS graduate, he thrives on using the outdoors as a source of learning and connecting people with our shared wild places. Prior to his return to the High Country, Andy worked for the Turner Foundation in Northern New Mexico as a guide and steward, where projects focused on endangered species habitat improvement and reintroduction at the Vermejo Park Ranch. He is also an adjunct instructor at Appalachian State University, teaching courses in Natural Resource Management, Sustainable Development, Paddlesports, and Leadership and Group Dynamics. Andy has served on the board of the High Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Valle Crucis Community Park. Andy has been honored by his community as Best of the Best Environmentalist in the Blue Ridge by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine (2020), Excellence in Science and Data Management by the Tennessee River Basin Network (2021), and as 4 under 40 Nonprofit Leader by the Boone Chamber of Commerce in 2019.
Andy lives on a tributary of the Watauga with his wife, Bettie, and their two children. They can often be found splashing around local creeks with their dog, Rosie.
